Egypt's Minister of Foreign Affairs Sameh Shoukry said on Wednesday that Egypt attaches great importance to maintaining relations with Hungary on the basis of friendship and cooperation between the two countries. During a joint press conference with his Hungarian counterpart, Peter Szijjártó, Shoukry praised the Hungarian role in the framework of the EU's deliberations to strengthen the union's relationship with Egypt in all fields and to inform European countries about the situation in the region, the challenges facing Egypt, and the need to strengthen Egyptian-European relations. He added that bilateral talks have an impact on exploring areas of cooperation beneficial to both parties, saying that the presence of Szijjártó in the joint forum with the Minister of Trade and Industry and the Minister of Transportation is an indication of the interest that Hungary attaches to its relations with Egypt. Furthermore, Shoukry noted that his talks with Szijjártó focused on strengthening bilateral relations, addressing regional issues, and stressing the importance of the economic part of partnerships. He added that Szijjártó is in Egypt with a delegation of Hungarian businessmen to hold the Hungarian-Egyptian Business Forum, and is hoping it will have an impact in exploring mutually beneficial areas of cooperation and will continue to attract Hungarian investments to Egypt in its relations with Egypt For his part, Szijjártó said that the European continent is facing crises and difficulties, especially with regard to the crisis in Ukraine, stressing that the interest of Europe requires supporting and strengthening relations with all friends. Regarding economic relations between the two countries, Szijjártó said that economic relations with Egypt are in their best shape ever, with trade exchange between the two countries reaching $400m and Hungarian exports to Egypt $300m, which shows the interest of Hungarian companies in Egypt. Szijjártó also praised the measures taken by Egypt to prevent illegal migration to Europe, saying: "Europe has faced security challenges from Africa. Egypt has always been a reliable partner in addressing this crisis, preventing illegal migration to Europe." "We highly value this and thank Egypt for it, and we expect the EU to support Egypt financially in confronting this phenomenon." Shoukry and Szijjártó also discussed a number of topics, foremost of which are the distinguished bilateral relations and ways to push them forward at all levels. Additionally, the talks focused on consultations on illegal migration, energy, and regional and international issues of common concern.
